FIZZY drinks raise your cancer risk, according to a study.
Women who consume more than one sugary drink per day were found to be five times more likely to get mouth cancer than those who drink less than one a month.
Experts at the University of Washington said too much of the sweet stuff can cause gum disease, in turn raising the risk of tumours in the mouth or throat.
Oral cancer cases are rising and hit 10,825 in the UK last year, making it the 10th most common type.
Tumours can develop on the tongue, lips, cheeks, tonsils or throat.
Smoking, booze and the HPV virus are linked to the vast majority of mouth cancer cases and it is generally more common in men.
Sugar linked to cancer risk
The new research found sugary drinks also appear to increase the risk, regardless of whether the patient smoked or drank.
Rates remained very low but the impact could account for an extra three avoidable cancer cases per 100,000 people, raising the rate from two per 100k to five.
Study author Dr Brittany Barber said: “High sugar-sweetened beverage intake was associated with a significantly increased risk of oral cavity cancer in women, regardless of smoking or drinking habits.
“A Western dietary pattern has increasingly been recognised as a risk factor for gastrointestinal cancers and is characterised by high consumption of saturated fats, processed foods and added sugars.
“Despite World Health Organisation guidelines advising limiting added dietary sugars, consumption remains excessive in many countries.
“Our hypothesis is that diets with higher added sugar may contribute to chronic inflammation, which may in turn contribute to the risk of oral cavity cancers.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Mouth cancer signs you should NEVER ignore” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6339250453112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The study, in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, used NHS medical records from 163,000 women in the UK.
It found rates of oral cancers were 4.87 times higher in women who drank a lot of sugary drinks compared to those who had fewer than one a month.
Dr Barber added: “More studies are needed in larger cohorts including males.”